This invention relates to the art of sharpening the working ends of medical instruments having two prongs with respective sharpenable edges such as nippers, forceps, scalers, and the like.
Hand held medical instruments have traditionally been sharpened by sending the instrument to a dealer or technician, or by using very costly electronic units that allow for the sharpening of instruments on site by a trained technician. When sending instruments out for sharpening, they are unavailable for use, normally for not less than a week. Also, it is relatively expensive to have an instrument sent out for professional processing each time sharpening is required. A trained technician using conventional electronic sharpening devices can sharpen an instrument on premises, but the instrument must be re-sterilized before it can be used.
The present invention provides a sharpener for a medical instrument having two prongs which are movable with respect to one another about an axis of rotation, each of which has a sharpenable edge in a respective plane oblique to the axis of rotation, including a housing having a first opening which is shaped to accept the fingers of a hand, a second opening in spaced relationship to said first opening, and a sharpening element, having an abrasive surface, mounted on the housing and bisecting the second opening thereby defining two apertures for respectively receiving the prongs of the instrument whereby the edges of the instrument can be simultaneously drawn over the sharpening element for sharpening them.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a medical instrument sharpening tool that is easier to use than prior art sharpening tools for medical instruments.
Another object of the invention to provide a medical instrument sharpening tool that can be hand held during use.
Still another object of the invention to provide a medical instrument sharpening tool that can be sterilized to prevent contamination of the medical instruments that it is used to sharpen.
A further object of the invention to provide a medical instrument sharpening tool that can be readily used to sharpen an instrument without need to take the instrument out of service for more than a short period of time.
Still a further object of the invention to provide a medical instrument sharpening tool that is relatively inexpensive.
Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent from the following drawings and description of a preferred embodiment of the invention in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views.